January 03, 2025
Provided Image/PUNCH Media
DreamWorld Bakes, now open in East Kensington, serves whimsical cakes and savory pastries.
A self-taught baker known for her whimsical, colorful cakes — including one that was commissioned for singer Patti LaBelle's 80th birthday party — has opened her first shop in East Kensington.
Ashley Huston's DreamWorld Bakes opened Thursday at 2400 Coral St., where she will be whipping up her signature creations topped with fresh flowers and fruit. The bakery will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
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Along with cake, Huston said she hopes to offer "a little bit of everything for everyone." The a la carte menu includes sweet and savory pastries and an espresso bar with hot and iced drinks. Some highlights include buttermilk doughnuts with Yuzu curd and Italian meringue; the Breakfast Bon — her take on a savory Cinnabon made with sausage and scrambled egg; and the ham and cheese pithivier, which Huston describes as a "giant hot pocket."
"It's kind of like an all-day patisserie cafe vibe," Huston said of DreamWorld Bakes' first store.
Huston has been baking since she was a kid growing up in Philly, but she started cooking professionally about eight years ago when she was 26 years old. During the pandemic, when she had more time on her hands, she started making cakes for her friends. Soon, their friends wanted cakes too, and the side hustle eventually blossomed into her DreamWorld brand.
Huston said she co-owns the building, which formerly housed Franny Lou's Porch, and felt it would be the right place to continue growing the business beyond the micro-bakery it was. She held soft openings a few weekends in December, and said it's been going "amazing" so far and that people are "very excited" to have a new breakfast and lunch spot in East Kensington.
Through DreamWorld, Huston approaches her cake creations as an art form, using locally sourced ingredients.
"All my cakes are unique and different, even if it's the same flavor — every design is different," she said. "... When I was a kid, everyone thought I was going to be a visual artist, so I guess in some ways I still am."
Her cakes have been gaining notice by Instagram followers and celebrities alike. Huston appeared on the "Sherri" talk show in February, when they highlighted small businesses for Black History Month. LaBelle's assistant saw her on TV, noting Huston was from Philly like LaBelle, and ordered a cake for the singer's 80th birthday extravaganza in May as a surprise for the singer.
"I was a little starstruck, a little nervous, but I tried to pretend like I wasn't," Huston said of meeting LaBelle. "She was very sweet, very funny. Couldn't tell she was turning 80, that's for certain. She looked amazing."
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